Lemon Meringue and Murder by Laura Pauling

Author:Laura Pauling [Pauling, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Redpoint Press
Published: 2022-06-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

They chose an Italian eatery in town. Nothing too fancy, but famous for their tasty food. Just what Holly needed after a long day’s work. Well, not the kind of work that paid but still work.

“The chicken parm is fabulous.” Katie ran a finger down the menu. “Ooh, but so is the eggplant sub. I can never decide so I’ll go with my usual.”

“What’s that?”

“Chicken parm, of course.”

The waitress arrived and they started with wine. When Holly held the glass in hand and sipped, she felt her body relax. This case was puzzling.

“Still thinking about it, huh?” Katie asked, sipping her wine.

“Yes. We added another valid suspect, another layer, but I don’t feel like we’ve made progress.”

“We’ve definitely made progress. We’re just not any closer to solving it. Maybe we should break into Mason’s office and read his files.”

Holly choked on her wine.

“Kidding! Kidding!” Katie giggled. “Like I would ever do that. Mason would kill me.”

Somehow, Katie and Mason seemed to navigate their relationship just fine. Mason, the lead detective, and Katie, the sleuthing girlfriend. “How do you do it?”

“What?” Katie asked.

“Your relationship with Mason. He’s a detective. You’re poking around in his case. Yet, you’re still dating, and not fighting about it.”

Katie bit her lip, a blush rising in her cheeks. “We don’t talk shop. We have date nights. Yes, sometimes we have to reschedule. He has his life. I have mine. We respect that.”

Holly’s heart sank. Katie made it sound so easy, juggling a relationship and jobs. Date nights and different lives. Maybe Holly had expected too much when she moved out here. But they were engaged! They hadn’t had one date since she arrived. And they hadn’t mentioned a wedding once. In fact, their relationship was worse off since she’d arrived.

“I’ll let you in on a secret.” Katie leaned forward. “When he tells me I should stop hanging around with people he doesn’t like, I tell him to shove it.”

“People he doesn’t like, meaning me?” This had been bothering Holly for a while. “Listen, I don’t want to mess up your relationship with Mason. If hanging out with me—”

“Don’t even say it.” Katie held up her hand. “If he can’t handle the fact that I have friends outside of his approval, then what kind of relationship do we have? I’d be heartbroken but not the kind of guy for me, long term, anyway.”

“What about your sleuthing?” This was the biggest problem Trent had with Holly.

“He doesn’t know everything.” Katie laughed. “But he’s a good cop. He knows when I’ve been nosing around. I told him the first time he complained that I didn’t want to hear another word. He cares a lot, but he just warns me that its dangerous and I should stick to books.”

“And then you just stop talking about it?”

“Yup.” Katie’s eyes brightened, and she waved at someone. “I can’t believe it. We couldn’t have planned it better.”

“What?” Holly searched in the direction of Katie’s gaze. Trent and Mason, in uniform, were waiting to be seated.

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